[facelvega]

Welcome to Head-fi. I won't say the second part; you'll hear it soon enough.

You've probably lurked long enough to know that we don't like Bose around here, and maybe you've noticed the name of a headphone or two that we seem to like. You've decided it's time to take the plunge and ask for our advice.

But wait, stop-- we already know what you're going to say. You want just one headphone: a jack-of-all-trades, with great bass response (though not too much) and a really open sound; you want it to be comfortable, ideally circumaural, but still portable and under no circumstances do you want to have to buy an amp. Isolation would be nice. And of course, it has to be under 50/100/200 bucks.

Hey, we sympathize: it's what almost all of us wanted when we first found this site. And you can have it, too, but only to a degree. Because very quickly you'll find that a headphone that doesn't fulfill all these things will beat the pants off the ones that do, and will specifically beat them at precisely the kind of music (games, movies) that you like. And though there are a lot of headphones that sound pretty good without a dedicated amp, even most of those sound a lot better with one. And it probably works better to have a different set of headphones for your mp3 player than for your computer or stereo, and maybe even different ones for different kinds of things you might listen to.

So you have a choice: first, you could just get yourself one of the usual recommendations at your price point and be happy. Chances are they'll be listed somewhere on the first page of threads. And trust us, the headphones you get will probably be better than any headphones you've had yet.

The second option is to let it become a bit of a hobby. Plan to listen to a bunch of different headphones, and be ready give amps a chance. Then think of what kind of music (games, movies) you like, where you'll listen to it (them), and take a look through the threads to see what's out there. Then, when you need some advice or have something to say, we'll be all ears. But be warned, and we'll keep on warning you, it can get a little addictive.

best, FV

 

[EFN]

I am a newbie, no doubt about it. Been lurking around since late July. For all its worth, my advice to fellow newbie is to hold dear to search function with keywords "appreciation" or "recommend". It took me 3 months to decide on my current cans which is a MS-1, and that after spending countless hours reading readily available threads and comparing inputs from various owners that have experience with them. When I was ready to commit and I made up my mind on my "expectations", THEN only I put up a new thread requesting for opinions based on my preference, that received better response and accurate impressions.

The key thing is decide what sort of listening experience you want, most importantly does it have to be a closed type or open, then scale it up with your budget and determine if they gonna be portable. Price checks on TTVJ, Headroom, eBay, Amazon and Audiocubes helps.

 

[Eedwhatever]

thanks for the advice,
i kinda got the message of not only getting 1 pairs of headphones after a day i got here.
so, if ur first in portabl, do u need an amp?
i heard that some people get a 'deck' ...wts that?
for newbies, is there a thread about amps?
i'v seen the silver hornet thread, it looks gewd
and more advice for newbies?

wt kind of music r u mainly into?

 

[Chiliman]

STICKY THIS POST!!!

Second part is the obligatory 'sorry about your wallet'

 

[Eedwhatever]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chiliman STICKY THIS POST!!!

yea or otherwise all newbies will be looked at as being anoying and idiots...

 

[ghopper]

yeah sticky this. great idea to start a thread like this facelvega. i'm kinda annoyed at new members coming in and keep asking for recommendations like "closed portable under $100" when the answer is so readily available if one just use the search function. if this thread does become a sticky, someone should make lists for categories like: closed phones, open phones, $2-$50, $50-100, etc etc. So people that lurks around this site doesn't have to make an account just to ask that one question. Anyone that just wants suggestions can easily see all the choices that suit their needs, and if they are truely interested in this hobby, they can sign up and really participate in the discussions. I admit this idea is not thoroughly thought out, and it's a pretty long and complex list, to categorize all the headphones. It's just my two cents.

 

[JohnnyLA]

Yeah. great post.

It would be great to see stickies with typical "noob" questions like that..

I used the search function heavily for weeks now and there is SO much information here it's sort of overwhelming...and I've been on these kinds of info sites for a long time.

 

[GreatDane]

I'm fairly new here too but I'm sure that these typical "noob" questions have been going on since the beginning of time

I don't get upset when I see the same questions over and over again. The search feature should always be used first to help narrow choices but there will always be some sort of personalized aspect that needs "fresh" advice.

When I have something half-way meaningful to add I will. I learn something new every day reading Head-Fi and it's often while reading an odd comment from ones personal experience with a certain amp or headphone , etc. --that's what this place is for.

 

[jjhatfield]

Beautiful OP, really puts it well.

You know, when I first got here, and someone said "sorry about your wallet", I thought they meant they were sorry I'd spent my money on crappy headphones before coming to Head-Fi.

I'm still a Head-Fi newb, but I have learned so much just lurking around these boards. I've spent a chunk of cash, but because I have been diligent in using the search engine and asking for advice when I needed it, that cash has been well spent!. In other words, I've blown some bucks, but I've gotten plenty of bang for the bucks blown.

My advice to newbies is not not ignore the Music forum! I've been trying to find a decent music forum on the internet for a while, and finally I found a great one tucked at the bottom of this forum.

 

[jinp6301]

yea, the search engine is kinda stupid though. i 2nd(?) the sticky idea.

 

[Eedwhatever]

well yes how about u write a FORMAL
Sticky for Newbies!?!?!?

 

[socrates63]

lol, that's an awesome post

Another thing, don't mistaken a user's post count with experience or knowledge. I'm the prime example.

And ultimately, trust your ears.

 

[vapman]

sticky this thing!!

best advice ever for newbies. i coulda used this, definately. it only took me 400 posts before i actually made a legit thread that gave me a realistic answer to what i would like best for home listening.

 

[SysteX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by socrates63 Another thing, don't mistaken a user's post count with experience or knowledge. I'm the prime example.

Absolutely! I've been surprised many a time here by questions asked by high-post-count members and, conversely, by answers given by low-post-count members. There seems to be very little correlation between the two variables.

 

[regal]

the problem with all these questions is because experienced members here don't post formulas for success.

If there were more "How to set up a $600 stationary rig" or "My $1000 setup" things would be better.